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CHAPTER I -- SUMMARY Purpose of Study and Agencies Involved This study of the water and related land resources in the Rio Grande Basin was made under Section 6 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of the 83rd Congress (Publ ic Law 566, as amended). Agencies of the U.S, Department of Agriculture (USDA) with direct responsibilities in the study are the Soil Conservation Service, Economic Statistics Cooperatives Service and the Forest Service, The Colorado Water Conservation Board represents the State and coordinates the study. The work of these agencies is directed by a Field Advisory Committee composed of one representative from each agency, The overal I purpose of the study is to improve the qual ity of I ife of the basin's residents through contributions to national economic develop- ment and environmental qual ity objectives, This report is to be provided to federal, state and local interest for use as a guide to conserving, developing and utilizing their water and related land resources in an efficient and tImely manner, It will serve as an aid to decision-makers in choosing among alternatives or competing uses of resources. The study area includes only that portion of the Rio Grande Basin found in Colorado, This is the entire headwaters of the river. The Rio Grande Basin in Colorado encompasses about 5 million acres (2,023,500 ha) in south central Colorado'and is bounded on the west and north by the Continental Divide, on the east by the Sangre de Cristo Range, and on the south by the Colorado-New Mexico state line. (See Plate 1, Location Map) , Problems The identified water and related land resource problems were divided into national economic development and environmental qual ity groups and then further divided into specific study components, The national economic development problems identified by state and local publics are as fol lows: inadequate water for late season irrigation (including inadequate storage facilities), over appropriation of streamflow, with- drawals for Rio Grande Compact, inefficient irrigation and delivery systems, inadequate drainage, annual spring flooding, low inherent fertility and organic matter, wind erosion, noxious weed control, ) imited range of crops, inadequate rural electrification, underdeveloped range resources and overgrazing, inadequate sanitation, inadequate municipal water supply, poor housing, lack of recreational areas and facilities, inadequate recreational access, insufficient timber supply to operate existing mills at capacity, current level of timber manage- ment will not allow basin's resources to contribute their share of (' ') 3" 0'" ) u, ::.. v, 1-1